- Healthy Eating -

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Changes in Diet

Many years ago, when your grandparents were young, there was no diabetes. But now, 1 out of every 7 native people, have diabetes. What has changed during this time? Both the amount of physical activity and types and amounts of food eaten have changed significantly. Compare your Grandparents diet with the food we eat today.

Your Grandparents Diet

Your Diet

Native traditions teach that different parts of our lives should be in balance. This is also true for the food we eat. So it is important that we eat a variety of foods from each of the food groups every day.

Also, drinking lots of water each day keeps your body clean inside and working properly. Most adults should drink at least six glasses of water a day.

Let’s look at the four Food Groups. They include:

1. Bannock, Breads and Cereal
2. Vegetables, Fruits and Berries
3. Milk and Milk Substitutes
4. Meat, Birds, Fish and Substitutes

Each food group has important things that our bodies needs in order to stay healthy.

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Whole grains such as wheat or oats give us three important things:

• Vitamins and minerals – keep our bodies running well
• Fibre – keeps our digestive tract healthy
• Energy – so we can think and work hard

We need 5-12 servings each day. One serving could be:

• 1 slice of bread
• 1 small piece of bannock
• 1 small homemade muffin
• ½ cup cooked rice or pasta
• ¾ cup cold or hot cereal
  

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These foods also give us vitamins and fibre. Different colours of fruit and vegetables have different vitamins. To make sure you get enough of all the vitamins your body needs to stay healthy, make sure your fruits and vegetables are a variety of different colours.

We need 5-10 servings each day. One serving could be:

• ½ cup vegetables
• ½ cup berries
• 1 medium size vegetable or fruit
• ½ cup fruit juice

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These foods give as Calcium which helps keep our bones and teeth strong. Milk and milk products are the best source of calcium but you can also get some calcium from dark green vegetables and canned fish with bones.

We need 2-4 servings each day. One serving could be:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup fish head soup
• 1/3 cup skim milk powder
• 1 piece cheese
• ¾ cup yogurt

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These foods give us Protein as well as Vitamins and Minerals. Our bodies use protein to build and repair muscles. Iron, a mineral found in red meat, helps build healthy blood.

It is a good idea to cut the fat off meat and birds before you cook them. Wild meat like deer and moose are much lower in fat than the meat you buy at the grocery store.

Meat Substitutes are also a good source of protein. They include:

• Nuts and Seeds
• Cheese and Eggs
  (These are higher in fat)
  
  
• Beans (such as kidney beans and baked beans)
• Lentils and dry split peas
  (These are low in fat and are high in fibre)

We need 2-3 servings each day. One serving could be:

• A piece of meat, bird or fish the size of a deck of playing cards
• 2/3 can fish
• 1-2 Eggs
• ½ cup cooked beans
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  

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These foods are called other foods because they are not part of the four food groups. These foods give us very few vitamins and minerals and are usually high in fat or sugar.

These foods include:

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Sugar

As mentioned above, many foods in the Other Foods group are high in sugar. Eating too much sugar can make us gain weight and this excess weight puts us at higher risk for developing Diabetes.

Check out how much sugar is in the foods below.

= 1 teaspoon of sugar

Pop:
Tang:
Ice Tea:
Fruitopia:
Mars Bar:
Cake:
Milkshake:

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Fat

As mentioned above, many foods in the Other Foods group are high in fat. Eating too much fat can make us gain weight and this excess weight puts us at higher risk for developing Diabetes.

Some foods are 100% fat. Examples include:

• lard
• vegetable oil
• butter
• margarine
• mayonnaise
• shortening

It is important to use these foods in moderation.

Check out how much fat is in the following foods.

= 1 teaspoon of fat

Donut:
Cheese Whiz: (2 tbsp.)
Chips: (3 oz.)
French Fries:
Big Mac:
Muffin: (not low fat)
Hotdog:
Bologna: (2 slices)
Cheese: (2oz., not low fat)
Milkshake:

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Shop Smart Tour, a Free Field Trip for Adults

A hands-on, common sense way to get more out of your food dollar and make the healthiest choices.

But where to start? A grocery store has so many choices and labels its hard to know what to buy. Fresh or frozen? Low fat or cholesterol free? And what about hydrogenated fats, sugars, calcium, beta carotene and fiber? A Shop Smart tour can help you sort through the choices and options.

This is an hour long tour, through the store. A Nutritionist will lead the group and show you what to look for on labels and how to read the fine print. We’ll help you with suggestions if you have special dietary requirements. Learn how to reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity.

To Sign up for a tour contact the customer service desk at your local Save-On Foods or Overwaitea grocery store.

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Quesnel Tillicum Society Native Friendship Centre
319 North Fraser Drive, Quesnel, BC, Canada V2J 1Y9

Phone: (250) 992-8347
Fax: (250) 992-5708
sandy.brunton@qnfc.bc.ca

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